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Resist!

Christian Dissent for the 21st Century

"Make no mistake about it: Christianity is resistance, its character indelibly marked by opposition to political powers that undermine the biblical values of peace and liberation," writes Michael G. Long, editor of this paperback and associate professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania. Christianity is resistant to economic powers that display contempt for the justice of God and to religious powers that would silence the faithful. The essays and prayers on these pages are organized into three sections:

Jesus and The Ways of Resistance

Prayers and Possibilities For Christian Resistance Today

Ordinary Christians, Extraordinary Hope

Jeff Bach's essay outlines Christian resistance in the United States from the early work of the Quakers to the contemporary protests against consumerism and for eco-justice. Robert Goizueta writes about the ethical challenges of "Resisting the Frontier, Meeting at the Border." A fitting complementary piece is a prayer by Samuel Wells titled "Give Us the Joy of Hospitality":

Boundless God,

in the infant Jesus you were a refugee

and among your own people you had no

place to rest your head.

We pray for those who come to this land

looking over their shoulder,

searching for safety, or protection, or the

ability to support their households;

and we pray for those who find in this

nation's people, ideals, and history

an inspiration for their own quest, their

own vision, and their own hope.

Give us the discipline and joy of hospitality,

that we might see in the stranger both a

reflection of our own pilgrim soul,

and an incarnation of your promise to be

present in the least and the lost.

Help us to know when to open our homes,

our hearts, our wallets, and our lives

to make room for the diverse and

challenging ways you come among us.

And in all things make us ready to meet

you,

when the moment comes when we are no

longer at home

but stand at your door, begging to be your

guest.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen."